


Return to Me

by butterflybrigade



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Champion!Shiro, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mutual Pining, One Shot, Pining, Post-Kerberos Mission, Pre-Kerberos Mission, one non-con kiss, prisoners of galra
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-07
Updated: 2018-09-07
Packaged: 2019-07-08 00:28:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15919287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butterflybrigade/pseuds/butterflybrigade
Summary: Shiro would listen with a smile on his lips that was kept hidden by the night. He encouraged Matt’s tangents with a question every now and then and that beautiful voice was a song Shiro never tired of listening to.However that optimism and excitement was drained from the three explorers and was replaced with fear as they were captured by an unknown alien ship.Or: Shiro had been pining for Matt since before Kerberos and after they became intimate his friend felt the same way, but never told him.





	Return to Me

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all like this one, sorry if the grammar seems a bit off sometimes. I just get too excited to post lol xD

The first time Shiro laid eyes on Matthew Holt was when they were paired together for a class project back at the Garrison. Matt’s honey eyes sparkled as he introduced himself, enthusiastic about their project on the Intergalactic Study of Comets. Shiro came to find out that Matthew Holt was indeed related to the renowned senior science officer, Samuel Holt and both of their intellectual prowess was unmatched. The apple clearly didn’t fall far from the tree as Shiro realized the student’s brilliant and inquisitive mind.

They became fast friends after spending sleepless nights together in the Garrison’s library, trying desperately to complete their assignments for various classes. Sometimes Shiro wondered why it was that the carmel haired student took such a liking to him, but he chose not to question it when he was met with those hypnotizing eyes. 

Over time without Shiro noticing it at first, he began to grow feelings beyond platonic friendship for Matt. It wasn’t necessarily a surprise to him, the guy was a genius with a heart of gold, but it didn’t make things any less difficult. Matt’s accepting nature made people drawn to him and Shiro was no exception. 

There was a whisper of hope in Shiro that perhaps Matt might feel the same, so for a time he tested the waters by asking if he found any people in their ranks to be of interest. The young scientist’s hesitation made Shiro’s heart skip a beat, but that dream was watered down to nothing once Matt laughed and shyly mentioned someone had recently asked him on a date. Shiro swiftly switched gears, successfully hiding his disappointment by chewing his friend out for holding out on information like that. Matt said his studies came first and that we wasn’t necessarily looking for anyone. Shiro teased and Matt laughed, that melodic sound that the training pilot dreamed about at night. 

He chose to swallow his heartbreak and stay quiet about what he truly felt. After being given the gift of Matt Holt, Shiro was willing to do anything to keep the scientist in his life. Even if it meant that each time he mentioned a girl his heart would sting in the background. Matt Holt was worth that pain.   

Directly after graduation, both Matt and Shiro were chosen to go on their first mission to Kerberos with the company of Sam Holt. Matt showed his excitement by staying up into the early hours of the morning talking to Shiro about all the things that they would find. He rambled to the pilot about any movies related to space and critiqued their relevance and likelihood. Shiro would listen with a smile on his lips that was kept hidden by the night. Sleep tempted him the whole time, but he encouraged Matt’s tangents with a question every now and then. That beautiful voice was a song Shiro never tired of listening to. 

However that optimism and excitement was drained from the three explorers and was replaced with fear as they were captured by an unknown alien ship.

They were treated brutally since the beginning, Shiro tried his best to protect both the Holts, but it proved to be fruitless as they were all thrown into a cell. One by one, the humans were separated for interrogation, each time ended with Shiro gaining more wounds from fighting back. The term “interrogation” proved to be better suited as torture. 

The pilot’s blood boiled each time Matt was returned paler and with bruises staining his smooth skin.  Mr. Holt was not faring so well either. The aliens that held them captive seemed to be more interested in the Senior Scientist, taking him away regularly to be hounded with questions.

Matt would rush to his father’s side each time he was pushed back into the cell then awaited Shiro’s help to usher him to a seated position away from the door. Over their extended time aboard the ship, the three of them found out their captors were an alien race called the Galra. There were other aliens kept in captivity with them, each one fearful and silent no matter how much Shiro tried to talk to them. 

One day the three humans were dragged out of the main cell and down a series of dark halls illuminated with purple light. Shiro and Matt were thrown into one cell while his father was taken away to a separate part. Matt screamed and banged at their locked metallic door until his hands began to bleed. Shiro wrapped his muscled arms around him and pulled his friend away, preventing any further damage Matt was doing to himself.

The pilot was a fighter, a survivor and easily assumed the responsibilities of a leader. He brainstormed each day on how they could escape, constantly forming scenarios. The trauma they were experiencing drove Shiro into a determined state that rendered him unwilling to give up. 

However, Matt was beginning to fade. Sleep was just as terrifying as the day with how nightmares plagued Shiro’s friend. Matt’s once whimsical babble of the beauty of space was replaced by nervous rants about what was happening to his father. 

Shiro kept him sane with soothing words of conviction that they would get out, all three of them and his promise to protect him. Matt would calm to his voice but Shiro could see him tearing at the seams, and he was running out of ideas on how to sew him back together.

One night, Matt was fighting off a silent panic attack that threatened to swallow him whole. Shiro sat close, nearly touching shoulders but he made no motion to go any closer. The pilot tried not to touch him in respect to keep their friendship… simply that. Shiro wasn’t sure he would be able hide his feelings as he had been able to before. 

“We’re not going to make it out. My dad... I don’t even know if he’s-” Matt’s small frame was shaking, and Shiro wanted nothing more than to surround him and hold the young scientist until his tension melted away. 

With a chill he recalled information on the importance of touch and how it was proven that the starvation from it was a truly detrimental thing. Guilt swept through Shiro’s mind. Was he being so self centered that he lacked helping the person most important to him? How could he call himself a leader if he put his own needs above someone else. 

“Matt…” Shiro whispered, critically watching for his friend’s reaction as he moved closer. “Everything is going to be alright.” Shiro kept his voice low and comforting as he wrapped an arm around Matt’s shoulders. He was so cold that Shiro wondered if the shaking was caused by the chill rather than the fear. Guilt hit Shiro like a brick again. Matt was significantly smaller than Shiro and he should have realized sooner that his body temperature should have been paid more attention to. 

The shaking ceased after a few moments and Matt’s breathing returned to a steady pace. Shiro could feel his stiff form melt like ice under his touch and a swell of relief swept through him knowing that he helped Matt. To Shiro’s surprise, the young scientist leaned closer into him, allowing the pilot to hold onto him tighter. Still being careful, he obliged to the nonverbal request. Shiro’s heart stuttered as he felt Matt’s head rest on his chest before succumbing to the sleep he had been trying to avoid. Eventually, his eyes closed too and he mourned that he had once craved the chance to touch Matt like this, but never did he want it in these circumstances. 

Touching had seemed to be the temporary cure to Matt’s fight or flight responses. It started out slow, only brief moments of a hand on a shoulder or their legs brushing against the other when they sat side by side. Shiro was analytical of his actions, always watching Matt’s reaction or his body posture whenever he made contact. The line between selflessly providing comfort to his friend and selfishly taking advantage of the situation was a fine one that Shiro was balancing constantly. Part of him cried to go beyond the feather light touches and satiate his desires, but the part that always won was his logical reasoning for what Matt needed. What Shiro wanted was irrelevant. Nothing else mattered except Matt.

It didn’t last forever. Matt was struggling again, his fragility becoming more noticeable when either of them were collected for tests. The young scientist was against Shiro’s side, his trembling no longer able to be stopped by arms around him. Shiro never took the initiative to do anything more than what Matt wanted. He always waited for Matt to make the first move, which was the only safe way to know that the pilot wasn’t overstepping boundaries.

But it was clear that Matt didn’t know what he was looking for. His eyes darted side to side as if he could find an answer in their dark cell. 

“Shiro…” he whispered, his breathing picked up and his hands shook. “I don’t know what…” his words trailed off. Shiro could see what Matt couldn’t say. The young scientist needed more than a brief contact, but he didn’t know how to ask for it. “I need…” 

After watching Matt struggle before him, Shiro leaned over and tried to answer the question Matt had been asking. His hand went to cup his friend’s cheek and tilt his chin higher so Shiro could place an innocent kiss to those soft lips. It was an offering, an option for Matt to choose if it could help him. 

His breathing slowed from the distraction and his trembling had stopped as well, but he was still slightly tense. Shiro pulled away but kept his hand on Matt’s face so that he could keep him in place as he looked Matt over. His friend’s eyes were blown wide in perhaps confusion but also consideration. The scientist didn’t come closer like Shiro hoped he would, but he also didn’t move away or shy from his touch.

A moment passed and Shiro let his hand fall while Matt’s eyes stared intensely at the floor. He was nervous and speechless whereas Shiro felt nothing more than compliant to whatever Matt wanted. 

“I’m kind of tired.” Matt spoke eventually. “Maybe we should get some sleep.” his voice was neutral leaving Shiro unable to read what he was thinking. 

“Okay.” Shiro whispered. He leaned away, giving his friend space as he lied down on the ground. The pilot didn’t mind that Matt just wanted to evade the situation, he was too relieved to find that he didn’t push away.

Shiro was drifting into unconsciousness when he felt a bundle of warmth curl against him. He responded automatically by wrapping his arm over the warmth and hold it close as if it were a heated pillow. The person burrowed in, and fell sound asleep in Shiro’s arms.

Neither of the Garrison graduates brought up what happened the night before. Shiro didn’t know what he was expecting, but it wasn’t the worst outcome he could have imagined. Matt could have completely avoided him, could have sat on the other side of the cell as far away as possible. Or worse, he could have verbally shown disgust at Shiro’s actions maybe even bringing up names he had been called in middle school for being the way Shiro was. The young scientist never failed to surprise Shiro, because none of those things happened.

They still remained close, still whispered happy memories of being back at the Garrison and reminiscing over the hijinks they caused in their youth. Even though they were still young, they both felt aged beyond their years since being in captivity. It was difficult to tell time when locked away, but Shiro had been observant at when the sentinels would pass through and he timed it. Therefore giving them an estimate of a warped sense of time passing.

It had been roughly a week by Shiro’s count when Matt was the one to slip closer with shy and hesitant movements. It wasn’t out of fear, or at least the utter terror that came before a fit of panic, but rather soft and unsure. Like a new lover, Shiro thought back to his past romantic encounters before Matt had encompassed his world.

“Shiro, can we… could we try that again?” he asked, his voice light and barely more than a whisper. Shiro looked down at his dirt covered face that made his beautiful honey eyes pop in the glow of purple lights. They were hopeful in trying to find solace in this hell they were living in.

The pilot wanted to tell his friend to be more specific even though he knew exactly what the scientist was asking for. Shiro wanted to hear him say it, to hear that magnificent voice say that Matt wanted him. But that would be cruel. Shiro knew it would only embarrass his friend and who knew if the opportunity would rise again.

“Okay.” it wasn’t Shiro’s best work at a romantic dialogue, but that’s not what this was. Matt was hoping to find something and Shiro knew it was just for comfort. Something soft in the harsh environment they were trapped in. Shiro only tilted his head low, but waited for Matt to be the one to tentatively put his small hands on either side of his face and pull them together. 

To say sparks were what happened was an offensive understatement. It was explosive. Soft lips pressed against Shiro’s and finally he was able to enjoy the interaction once more. Before it had been too brief to appreciate how they fit together so effortlessly. Matt was a refreshing drink of water that he had been depriving himself from for years, and he was finally indulging his senses with it.  

It took all of Shiro’s willpower to keep from taking the lead, to show Matt’s inexperienced lips how the game could be played. Shiro feigned unknowing as well, pretending like this was his first time doing something like this. It was better that way so Matt could feel out how far he wanted to go and set the pace. It was the pilot’s goal to never let his friend find out how badly he wanted him. 

After that, their careful make out sessions became the norm. Matt slowly became more confident, curbing Shiro’s temptation to lead and he had an easier time taking the backseat. Shiro almost compared it to teaching him a few tips on how to pilot. Taking it slow, easing his nerves as he held tight to the wheel, and faking composure while he figured out to how control the spacecraft. It was a colorful comparison that brought a grin to Shiro’s face when Matt wasn’t looking. Their pace was relaxing and somehow innocent, basically a perfect mirror of Matt. 

Once near the beginning of these interactions Matt had pulled away with an adorable blush.

“Shiro, I don’t want you to think that I… well um” he looked away and scratched his head while all the pilot could look at were his swollen pouty lips. “I’m not, well… gay.” he seemed so nervous, but Shiro wasn’t offended. He made sure to look at his friend with understanding, but secretly he wasn’t convinced. That was a topic he would let his friend figure out himself, and Shiro was a patient man. 

“I know, Matt.” he grinned and pulled them back together, of which Matt eagerly complied.

These stolen moments became the only thing that kept both of them going. Shiro found out that the treachery of the Galra extended beyond just experiments and torture. It went all the way to battling prisoners against one another in a cruel arena surrounded by shouting onlookers.

In dismay, Shiro became a crowd favorite in a short period of time. From the moment he threw Matt behind him to protect him and unwittingly scaring him out of his mind, he became known for his bloodthirsty tactics and prowess on the battlefield. It was always out of survival, but each time he exited the arena he felt like he lost a part of himself in there. 

He would be returned to him and Matt’s cell with his friend eagerly awaiting his return. He would run his hands over Shiro, looking for wounds that the pilot claimed didn’t exist and he would flinch when his fingertips found the bandages the infirmary gave him. Matt’s touches were a welcome contrast to everything else he experienced outside the cell. Shiro never thought he would admit to being happy to return to his shared prison room.

As Shiro became more popular, they invested in healing him better after he survived another round in the ring. They used advanced technology to close the wounds and heal them on the spot, mending broken bones and leave them bruised instead. Shiro’s strong will was a spectacle to the Galra and it was only a matter of time before he became a subject of interest to their witch.

He woke up one day strapped down on a table in the infirmary with his arm replaced by a weapon and he couldn’t have been more horrified at the development. Shiro’s priorities slipped through the cracks when the first thing he thought of was how was he supposed to feel Matt beneath artificial fingertips. It turned out that the arm was wired with synapses just like his own, making him able to sense just as much as his regular one, if not more. The only difference was that it turned an ominous shade of purple before he was about to kill another gladiator. He didn’t want that image in his head near anything close to Matt. 

His friend took the information better than Shiro probably did. The pilot felt the warmth of Matt’s hands ricochet through his metal arm as Matt looked it over with an analytical gaze. He traced the curve of the cool metal around the palm and upwards as he inspected the alien technology. Shiro had to pull away for more than just shame, but of what Matt’s touch was doing to him. It felt so real, if not heightened at every trace his fingers made. Shiro wondered if it picked up more than his real hand could, but thinking about caressing Matt with the prosthetic seemed wrong. 

Shiro was careful in his placement when they kissed. It made for an uncomfortable angle at times but it never got too terrible, that is until he came back from the arena with not all his wounds healed. There was a cut on his side that the medics only half-assed healed and it hurt to do anything else but sit up straight. He did a damn good job of hiding from Matt until he hissed in pain leaning over to meet his kiss. 

“Oh my gosh, Shiro are you okay?” Matt watched the pilot cover his side as he winced. “Did I hurt you? We can stop-” he inched away from his crouched position but was stopped by Shiro holding him from the back of his knee.

“No, don’t.” Shiro breathed, willing the sting of pain away. His battle today was close, too close for Shiro’s comfort. The cut on his side was nothing compared to what could have happened if the blade went through his stomach like the other alien would have hoped. He really… _ really  _ needed Matt right now. He needed his friend to make him forget the arena. “I’m okay.”

“Wait, what are you…?” Matt’s left leg was tugged by Shiro, pulling him to straddle over the pilot’s thighs. Even wounded, it wasn’t hard to maneuver the Holt over him, the guy was light and caused barely any pressure. Shiro could tell he was startled at first, now sitting completely on Shiro’s lap as compared to by his side. Matt fussed over Shiro and tried to get off but he wouldn’t let him. “Shiro, you’re hurt. I don’t want to make it worse, you need to heal.” those hands were on his chest, but not causing any pain to Shiro’s various wounds. 

“You could never hurt me, Matt.” he spoke low in stark comparison to Matt’s flustered speech. It seemed to be an anchor to the scientist based on his halted movements. He bit his lip in contemplation and Shiro just thought about how he could do that for Matt.

“Okay, if you’re sure.” he asked and Shiro nodded. The honey eyed Holt settled and lowered completely to rest on his thighs. “Is this alright?” he checked in and Shiro gave another encouraging nod. 

Matt’s features relaxed, his eyes shifting to an intention that made Shiro’s skin buzz in anticipation. Soft hands, too gentle than what Shiro deserved, carded through his hair and held him in place while familiar lips covered his own. It was perfect. The pressure was divine, the kisses intimate and slow, and the sounds Matt tried to hold back made Shiro shiver. With the angle Matt was at, it was easy to deepen the kiss rather than work their way into it like they had done in the past. 

More than ever was Shiro hungry for more. He wanted to pull Matt’s hips down again from where he had lifted off to angle their lips and tongues, but he held back. Shiro’s human hand slid around Matt’s waist for something to hold onto, something to ground him. An angelic and beautiful distraction from the horrors around them.

But like all good things, it had to come to an end. 

Shiro wanted to kill his self control for allowing that bliss to stop, but he knew he had to slow down when Matt did if he wanted to keep his cover. Matt really must not have had any idea of what control he had over Shiro.

In the same monotonous cycle, Shiro healed and they threw him back out onto the field. It was disgusting to Shiro how much easier it was becoming to finish off his opponents. Worthy gladiators would present themselves, but never beat the Champion. That was what the crowd called him. They screamed his name as he took the light from other aliens’ eyes and it was desensitizing to say the least. But it was worse than torture when they would no longer send Shiro back to his cell. 

The Galra officers made Shiro fight till he bled and the challengers were defeated. He would be so broken that he would stay in a healing pod overnight and sent back into the arena the next day. There was never a free time that he could go to Matt and tell him he was alright. Rage fueled Shiro on the field, the sooner he killed the sooner he should be sent back to Matt, but the officers only facilitated more opponents. 

Everything. Just.  _ Hurt _ . 

Nothing could heal him like Matt could. His physical wounds were treated with ease, but he never had the chance to enjoy the feeling of being free from cuts, bruises, or broken bones before he was thrown back out. No, he needed Matt for his mind. He needed his friend to kiss away the nightmares, to remind him why Shiro needed to stay strong, to make him feel real. He couldn’t think about anything else other than those lovely eyes, those soft lips, and the noises that Matt didn’t know he made when they were in a comforting embrace. He was like a drug that Shiro couldn’t get enough of, and Shiro was going through withdrawal.

It took the Champion to repeatedly destroy sentinel upon sentinel for the Galran guards to finally let him get some peace. He had played their games, done what they wanted, but he couldn’t go on doing it at the pace he was. It was his “Bad” behavior that got Shiro a semblance of solace. He was escorted back to the prison cell and the moment he entered he was attacked around the waist by wiry arms wrapping around him. The grip on him was tight, but luckily the infirmary had him patched up good as new so he could actually enjoy this. 

“You’re alive.” Matt’s voice was strangled as if holding back tears as his fists held tight to Shiro’s shirt. “They didn’t let you come back.” Shiro weaved his hands through Matt’s soft locks of hair, etching the feeling into his memory the pressure of his face as it burrowed into his chest. Shiro gave a breathy exhale, releasing the air he didn’t know he was holding.

Their embrace was natural at this point, Matt had been more comfortable on Shiro’s lap after he had shown him how. His knees on either side of Shiro beside his hips, hands in his cropped hair, Shiro’s hands resting on Matt’s calves. He wasn’t so nervous to use his metallic hand now that he had practice using it.

Shiro thought that their reunion would take all the pain away… but to his dismay it didn’t. Matt was like a dream, light and airy to the point where he wondered if it were real, and the thought of it being a hallucination given to him by the witch made it worse. It didn’t help that Matt was being too gentle. Shiro knew Matt meant well when he lowered his head to kiss the vulnerable parts of his neck, but it was too tender. Shiro could only think of how he had to guard the sensitive parts of him on the battlefield and it was proving to be more difficult to let that barrier down than he thought it would be. 

Shiro tried to hold still and let that panic wash away, but it wasn’t going anywhere. Finally unable to take any more, he stopped Matt by holding on to the back of his shirt, preventing him from coming closer.

“Wait.” Shiro took a deep breath and willed the oncoming images of alien opponents aiming for the same spot where Matt’s lips touched. Even with his eyes closed he could feel Matt’s worried gaze look him over.

“I’m sorry, I should have asked. We can just-” Matt tried to move away, but Shiro’s metallic hand didn’t let go of his ragged shirt. 

“Matt, I said ‘wait’ not ‘stop’.” Shiro didn’t know what message he wanted to convey, either a joke or flirtation, both of which failed to hide how anxious he was. Matt analyzed him like a complex exam and Shiro took that moment to compose himself now knowing what he wanted. “Could we try something else?” Shiro felt a pull within him, a hunger that was so intense he didn’t have any choice other than to satiate it. All it took was Matt to nod before Shiro made quick work.

He prosthetic hand still gripped Matt’s shirt but now guided him to the ground with Shiro following soon after. He swallowed Matt’s surprise with his lips, revelling at the new angle of hovering over the young scientist. Shiro couldn’t explain the way he felt, like he was on  _ fire _ and Matt was the only thing that could put it out. He needed to know that Matt was real, and that he wasn’t going to disappear. Shiro wanted to touch him, everywhere and more than he ever did in the past. 

Shiro thought he could be happy at keeping Matt at arm’s length, but the temptation was overwhelming. What they had been doing together for months was that of the most intimate levels and everything Shiro would have done with a romantic partner, but their ambiguousness was painful. Shiro thrived on facts and concrete evidence, but there was none to be found with Matt.

Shiro kissed Matt like he never had before, leaving them both breathless and hearts racing in the heat. With their swapped position, Shiro hooked Matt’s leg around his own while holding his thigh with his bionic hand. Not being able to hold back, Shiro rolled his hips suggestively, eliciting a moan from Matt’s lips. A shot of pleasure ran through Shiro’s senses at the friction, like a preview of what could happen. 

Fantasies ran through Shiro’s eyes. He could make Matt feel good, make a mess of him under his experienced touch. He could imagine the young scientist’s hair disheveled from rolling in the sheets, a blush covering his smooth pale skin, and honey eyes dilated from arousal. Shiro thought back to his nights spent with Matt in the dorms lamenting on why it was that Matt didn’t see him the way that Shiro saw him. He could treat his friend better than anyone else could, he would give him the moon if he merely asked for it. 

Shiro didn’t care about hiding the way he felt now as he was utterly distracted at how Matt’s lithe form moved beneath him. It was the friction he wanted while being chest to chest, their legs intertwined causing pressure in all the right places. For once, Shiro just needed to have a handle on something, he couldn’t stand a moment more of not having control like he didn’t in the arena. 

Matt gasped with Shiro rolling their hips once more so he moved to kiss Matt’s extended neck. He could feel the young scientist shiver underneath him as he traced lower to his collarbone. Shiro’s wandering hands had found Matt’s and he held them against the ground with their fingers laced between the other. It was easy to get lost in the sensations and the moment, desire overcoming all logic that Shiro had always clung to in the past. His teeth came down over Matt’s collar bone, wanting to leave a love bite there but the sound Matt made had Shiro stop dead in his tracks.

It was a cross of a squeak and a whimper, neither of which noises that Shiro heard when he made love to his partners in the past. It was like a bucket of ice water that covered him as he looked up to see that the corners of Matt’s eyes seemed to shimmer a little more than they should. Shiro instantly let go of his hands and sat up enough to see the tears that threatened to fall from their place.

He moved off him in a second, letting him go as if he were fire. Did he hurt him? Was Shiro too heavy, was he not careful? Panic raced through his mind as he asked himself what he had done wrong, unless… he had misread everything completely. Matt propped himself up on his elbow, his other one wiping his eyes quickly like he was hiding away the evidence.

Guilt struck the pilot like a spear through his chest, it was more painful than any alien weapon could hope to inflict. Matt was so small and defenseless, his strength residing in his mind than in his body and in complete opposite of Shiro. He now remembered why he was so adamant to let his friend lead so that they could stop when Matt wanted, all because the pilot  _ knew _ there was a chance he wouldn’t be able to hold back. Now look what he had done.

Matt couldn’t look him in the eye and Shiro felt like he was tearing in two. He had ruined everything, all because he thought he knew what Matt wanted but instead he was only thinking of himself. Shiro had probably hurt the one person that he strived to protect. He looked to his bionic arm and felt more like a monster than he ever did in the arena.

“Matt, I didn’t mean to... I should have asked-” Shiro rambled, terrified of the silence that hung in the air. “I’m sor-”

Galra guards unexpectedly opened the cell door and purple light assaulted the pilot’s eyes. Shiro was too disoriented by it and the shame he harbored that he didn’t have time to register being dragged out. He heard them say something about a new opponent in the arena, and if he knew any better he thought he heard Matt scream his name.

 

Those were Shiro’s last thoughts and memories before amnesia claimed him and time led him to meet the four other Paladins of Voltron.

 

Now he had finally been reunited with his best friend after Pidge had found her brother at a rebel camp. He had changed in ways that Shiro could never have imagined. He was taller with broad shoulders and a confidence emanated from his toned form. Childlike wonder returned to those beautiful eyes, but receded to calculative prowess when in combat with a foe. The way he wielded his staff was with experience and a trace of guilt touched the back of Shiro’s mind at the sight. His absence was the reason Matt was so skilled with the weapon. Matt looked at him with joy as he stepped off the Green Lion, but tried to conceal it when giving him a handshake. Shiro pulled him in and with relief Matt melted into the embrace.

They were alone in Shiro’s bunker, finally getting a spare moment together before Pidge found out that her brother slipped away. Matt explained what he had been doing since Shiro was taken, and his voice had returned to the jubilant person before they were both sucked into space. They both tiptoed in their conversation, but finally led up to what Shiro was most thinking about.

“You didn’t hurt me that night.” Matt spoke softly, as if to comfort the Black Paladin. His wide eyes looked away in shame, not wanting to be forgiven for his actions. “I’m telling the truth Shiro.” Matt’s leather gloved hands gently guided Shiro to look at him to see the sincerity in the scientist. 

“I should have been honest with you, I never meant to-”

“Stop.” Matt smiled like Shiro was talking nonsense. “I wanted to, and I still do, but I wasn’t expecting us to move so fast, I was just taken off guard. I am the one who should have been honest.” he scratched his head as a nervous habit. “I suppose you can consider this to be my confession, but I fell for you when we were taken prisoner. I lived for the moments you came back to me, and you were all I could think about when you were gone. I thought I was the only one who felt like that, and I didn’t want to push you away and-”

“You still do?” Shiro was hung on the words that first came from Matt’s mouth and repeated them to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. For a moment Matt look confused, but a blush came over his cheeks like he remembered what he said.

“Yeah… I do. I wasn’t ready then, but I am now.” he leaned over and stole a kiss from the Paladin, leaving Shiro speechless, but only for so long. 

Every muscle relaxed as the past was forgotten and they only lived in that present moment. They came together again this time with both Garrison graduates knowing exactly what they wanted and both of them praising the fact that they were finally reunited. 


End file.
